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Indiana launches new tool to find child care providers

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) has launched a new website for parents to find quality, affordable child care in Indiana.

“Parents have a lot of concerns about cost, location, availability, and infant capacity is an issue as well,” said Lacey Kottkamp, an education specialist with FSSA. “Parents really want their children to be safe, and this is a tool to make sure you have a safe option to leave your children with while you go to work.”

FSSA gave Call 6 Investigates Kara Kenney a first look at their new website, ChildCareFinder.IN.gov.

It includes enhancements including an “On-My-Route” search, which allows parents to search for child care options along their route from home to work.

“You can put in your home address and your work address, and it will show you child care on your way to work,” said Kottkamp.

“Often families will rely solely on their friends’ recommendations or other factors such as location when picking a caregiver for their children without being fully informed, because they haven’t had or haven’t been aware of

tools and resources to help provide an in-depth search,” said Nicole Norvell, Director of the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. “We are hopeful that Child Care Finder provides some confidence to Hoosier

families by giving easier access to important information that will help them make a much more informed decision.”

Child Care Finder allows parents to narrow their search based on the type of provider, hours, licensing status, and whether or not the provider participates in Paths to Quality, Indiana’s voluntary quality rating and improvement system.

In addition, families can find inspection reports and any enforcement actions against the provider.